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Furness baby deaths 'mistakes' midwife Marie Ratcliffe struck off Furness baby deaths 'mistakes' midwife Marie Ratcliffe struck off
(35 minutes later)
An ex-midwife who "made mistakes" that contributed to the deaths of two babies has been struck off. An ex-midwife from a maternity unit where 11 babies were judged to have died unnecessarily has been struck off over the deaths of two of them.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council misconduct hearing concluded the "only appropriate sanction" for Marie Ratcliffe was a "striking off order". Marie Ratcliffe had admitted she "made mistakes" that contributed to the deaths of the two babies at Furness General Hospital.
Ms Ratcliffe, who did not attend, accepted 64 allegations relating to 14 patients, between 2004 and 2013, at Furness General Hospital. Ms Ratcliffe accepted 64 charges relating to 14 patients.
She said she would "regret" what happened for the rest of her life. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) concluded the "only appropriate sanction" was a "striking off order".
These included contributing to the death and/or causing a baby to lose a significant chance of survival. 'Repetition of failures'
In February 2014, she was suspended for 18 months while the council investigated an incident. At the time, she said she had no intention of returning to the profession. The panel said her actions, relating to a period between 2004 and 2013, were "fundamentally incompatible" with her remaining on the register.
Ms Ratcliffe said she would "regret" what happened for the rest of her life but denied being part of any cover-up or an effort to "conceal the truth".
Gary Leong, chair of the NMC panel, said there were "wide ranging failures" over a long period of time and a "repetition of failures".
He said: "Mitigating factors were that she had a long career, she did 180 hours of supervised training, she admitted all charges, minimising any delays, and worked in a system where there were organisational failures.
"[Marie Ratcliffe] failed in the basic care of patients. She has not engaged with proceedings, therefore there is no evidence that she is willing to retrain."
'Serious misconduct'
Mr Leong added: "The failings were repeated over a 10 year period and she showed a persistent lack of insight into her actions.
"Her conduct was a very significant departure from standards expected of a midwife.
"Her contribution the deaths of babies B and C amounts to serious misconduct. She has breached public confidence in the profession."
The allegations included contributing to the death and/or causing a baby to lose a significant chance of survival in relation to the deaths of Elleanor Bennett in 2004 and Alex Davey-Brady in 2008.
In February 2014, Ms Ratcliffe was suspended for 18 months while the council investigated an incident. At the time, she said she had no intention of returning to the profession.